Goose Island Baudoinia - Fulton & Wood Series (Fungus BCBS)

"Baudoinia is a collaboration between Brewmaster Brett Porter and John Laffler. Baudoinia is the name of a fungus that grows on barrels stored low to the ground in distillery rickhouses. Given these barrels uniqueness, they have aged Goose Island's Bourbon County Brand Stout solely in these Baudoinia covered barrels for a new spin on Bourbon County."

I had this at FOBAB. Brett came over and talked with us for 20-25 minutes about the variations they were serving. He was VERY excited about the Baudoinia. I need to try it semi-sober to formulate a solid opinion of it vs. regular BCS. But my memory tells me it was solid!

SIDE NOTE: I can confidently say (and this was Brett's opinion too).....Bramble Rye with a year on it is better than Cherry Rye.

SIDE NOTE: I can confidently say (and this was Brett's opinion too).....Bramble Rye with a year on it is better than Cherry Rye.

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But will Cherry Rye follow the same progression as Bramble has in a year? That's the more pertinent question to be asking in my opinion.

I didn't like Bramble fresh at all, but it is drinking very well right now. I also wasn't a huge fan of Cherry Rye at FoBAB or Black Friday, but hoping I'll be as impressed with it in a year as I am with Bramble now.

Also Baudoinia was very good at FoBAB, but not quite as good as the Apple Brandy Koval barrel aged version. Can't wait to try it side by side with regular Bourbon County in the coming weeks.

It's a shame I won't be anywhere close to Chicago to get to try this. The whole concept sounds very interesting, and I would only imagine it would taste lovely. BCBS with more smoothness and less of an "hot" taste and only 1% less abv, I'd gladly drink this everyday until the tap runs dry.

But will Cherry Rye follow the same progression as Bramble has in a year? That's the more pertinent question to be asking in my opinion.

I didn't like Bramble fresh at all, but it is drinking very well right now. I also wasn't a huge fan of Cherry Rye at FoBAB or Black Friday, but hoping I'll be as impressed with it in a year as I am with Bramble now.

Also Baudoinia was very good at FoBAB, but not quite as good as the Apple Brandy Koval barrel aged version. Can't wait to try it side by side with regular Bourbon County in the coming weeks.

Cheers!

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Yeah very true! Honestly ANY BCS varient is awesome. I'm also optimistic that Cherry Rye will turn out to be a true whale in a year. Just not sure it has the initial "punch" that might be needed to age into that. (Like I know what it takes)

If Goose Island started distributing to Oregon you would be singing a very different tune.

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GI does distribute to Oregon. Their stuff sits on the shelves if it doesn't have BCS on it.

And stupid comments aside, when Rogue did their brewer's beard yeast, it was a gimmick. GI does it with barrel fungus, and it's awesome. You can't argue GI 'trolls' us and gets away with it. They received their blank check with Rare.

i wonder if brett porter realizes that his name could be a style of beer

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I was just thinking that myself. In fact I was wondering if this news was a joke given the name, but I guess not! Brett Porter, too funny - guess he was born to be a brewer. Maybe someone should try that one out...

GI does distribute to Oregon. Their stuff sits on the shelves if it doesn't have BCS on it.

And stupid comments aside, when Rogue did their brewer's beard yeast, it was a gimmick. GI does it with barrel fungus, and it's awesome. You can't argue GI 'trolls' us and gets away with it. They received their blank check with Rare.

GI does distribute to Oregon. Their stuff sits on the shelves if it doesn't have BCS on it.

And stupid comments aside, when Rogue did their brewer's beard yeast, it was a gimmick. GI does it with barrel fungus, and it's awesome. You can't argue GI 'trolls' us and gets away with it. They received their blank check with Rare.

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That's because if it doesn't have BCS on it it is most likely their year-round offerings...which usually sit on shelves throughout the year anywhere.

For the record, I don't think the fungus is supposed to be in the beer, just on the outside of the barrel. It thrives in low ethanol environments, not high ones like you'd find inside a barrel. I think this beer is sort of a sneaky admission on GI's part that regular BC"B"S is no longer 100% BBA, while Baudoinia is, putting aside any alleged benefits of being a bottom-of-the-rack barrel.

BCS is a blend. 3% of that blend is Wheat Whiskey BCS, deemed unsuitable for its own release (despite GI's previous commitment to do so, per the 2012 Beer Calendar.) I assume that the remaining 97% may or may not be all bourbon barrels. I think calling it Bourbon County "Brand" Stout gives them a lot of leeway in the types of barrels used. It's just a brand name, not a factual description of the ingredients or production process.

I think calling it Bourbon County "Brand" Stout gives them a lot of leeway in the types of barrels used. It's just a brand name, not a factual description of the ingredients or production process.

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No one is saying that. Look at Cherry and Bramble. Those were aged in Rye barrels, not Bourbon yet no one has a problem with the 'Bourbon County' name. The problem I have is your complete asinine and unfounded accusation that it isn't, or in the future won't be 100% barrel aged.

That is unless I'm misinterpreting you and I assumed you meant 100% barrel aged when your undefined and unused acronym of BBA stood for "Bourbon Barrel Aged"

i haven't had any reason to doubt that bcbs is 100% barrel aged. it might not all be the same type of barrels, but nothing i've had in the flavour profile would suggest to me otherwise. but even then, i don't really care as long as they make beer that tastes as amazing as bcbs '11 and '12 did fresh (and still do).

^^^ agreed. Not trying to be critical of regular BCBS, just making the point that the relative deliciousness of Baudoinia may not come from the moldiness or the bottom rackness of it, rather the 100% bourbonness vs. Regular BCBS'12. I don't care what kind of barrels are used, as long as the end result is amazing, which Bourbon County Stout consistently is.

Edit: Though I much preferred Baudoinia to Buffalo Trace BCS. So maybe there is something to the low storage thing. Regardless, I think I've raised some valid points. Perhaps calling GI "sneaky" was unnecessary, I'm just saying these aren't the exact same beers aged at slightly differing altitudes.

i haven't had any reason to doubt that bcbs is 100% barrel aged. it might not all be the same type of barrels, but nothing i've had in the flavour profile would suggest to me otherwise. but even then, i don't really care as long as they make beer that tastes as amazing as bcbs '11 and '12 did fresh (and still do).

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He isn't saying that it is not 100% barrel aged, he is saying that 3% of the barrels are wheat whiskey barrels, produced in the same manner as bourbon barrels. I doubt anyone could tell the difference if something was only 97% bourbon/3% wheat whiskey barrel aged vs. 100% bourbon barrel aged.

I feel confident that it is 100% barrel aged, given Goose's apparent transparency with YouTube videos and brewers being completely honest with customers. Two questions I have, before I hit the hay, are: 1) If Wheat Whiskey wasn't good enough to release on its own (too hot or whatever) does its presence adversely affect the taste of BCBS'12 and 2) would a side-by-side of Baudoinia (lowest rack) vs. Heaven Hill BCBS (all rack levels) reveal a meaningful difference? Obviously the brewers seem to think so, but that's not an experiment the public can recreate.

I feel confident that it is 100% barrel aged, given Goose's apparent transparency with YouTube videos and brewers being completely honest with customers. Two questions I have, before I hit the hay, are: 1) If Wheat Whiskey wasn't good enough to release on its own (too hot or whatever) does its presence adversely affect the taste of BCBS'12 and 2) would a side-by-side of Baudoinia (lowest rack) vs. Heaven Hill BCBS (all rack levels) reveal a meaningful difference? Obviously the brewers seem to think so, but that's not an experiment the public can recreate.

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Where do you get this idea that they blended in 3% wheat whiskey BCBS?